Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC Has $1.94 Million Stock Position in National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG)

Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC reduced its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) by 5.3% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 32,045 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after selling 1,800 shares during the period. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in National Fuel Gas were worth $1,944,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Allworth Financial LP grew its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 46.8% during the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,814 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $110,000 after buying an additional 578 shares during the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 49.5% during the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 722 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $44,000 after buying an additional 239 shares during the last quarter. C2P Capital Advisory Group LLC d.b.a. Prosperity Capital Advisors acquired a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas during the fourth quarter valued at about $367,000. Kentucky Trust Co acquired a new position in shares of National Fuel Gas during the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Finally, Edmp Inc. grew its holdings in shares of National Fuel Gas by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. Edmp Inc. now owns 26,448 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $1,605,000 after buying an additional 684 shares during the last quarter. 73.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at National Fuel Gas

In related news, insider Donna L. Decarolis sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.58, for a total transaction of $625,800.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 81,519 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,101,459.02. This represents a 10.93 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Justin I. Loweth sold 19,532 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.27, for a total transaction of $1,216,257.64. Following the sale, the insider now owns 41,841 shares in the company, valued at $2,605,439.07. The trade was a 31.83 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.41% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

National Fuel Gas Price Performance

NFG opened at $72.17 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80. National Fuel Gas has a twelve month low of $46.91 and a twelve month high of $73.13. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $65.33 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $62.25.

National Fuel Gas (NYSE:NFG) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.66 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.44 by $0.22. National Fuel Gas had a negative net margin of 0.53% and a positive return on equity of 15.96%. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.46 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that National Fuel Gas will post 6.64 EPS for the current year.

National Fuel Gas Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st were paid a dividend of $0.515 per share. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.85%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, December 31st. National Fuel Gas’s payout ratio is currently -1,471.32%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

NFG has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. StockNews.com upgraded shares of National Fuel Gas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of National Fuel Gas in a research report on Monday, October 28th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $62.00 price objective for the company. Argus raised shares of National Fuel Gas to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of National Fuel Gas from $65.00 to $64.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $69.00.

National Fuel Gas Company Profile

National Fuel Gas Company operates as a diversified energy company. It operates through four segments: Exploration and Production, Pipeline and Storage, Gathering, and Utility. The Exploration and Production segment explores for, develops, and produces natural gas and oil. The Pipeline and Storage segment provides interstate natural gas transportation services through an integrated gas pipeline system in Pennsylvania and New York; and owns and operates underground natural gas storage fields.